Waiting for Her Big Day

by Chris Tiegreen

Here are 10 characteristics of Christ's church as she prepares for His return.

1. Expectant. "Every bride I've ever known was so excited about the coming event," says Gary Hollingsworth, NAMB's senior director of Cultural Evangelism. "It consumes their every waking moment as they prepare for the 'big event.' The church should have an 'expectant' attitude, and this should drive everything we do. How exciting to think about our Savior returning for His bride!"

2. Urgent. Because we don't know when Christ will return for His bride, the church should be on high alert to make sure we invite as many as possible to the "wedding" leaving none out! The main task of the church is to invite (share the gospel), but every person must individually decide how they will "RSVP"-some will accept, some will decline. The urgent message of the church must be to get the invitations out as quickly as possible to allow for the maximum number of people to respond positively to the gospel call.

3. Sober. While every wedding is a celebration, there is a seriousness about the whole event. "I always remind the congregation in every wedding ceremony I've done that this is a worship experience, and we need to enter into it with a great deal of prayer and humility," says Gary. Being married is an awesome responsibility and needs to be treated with all the respect we can bring. The church has a responsibility to fulfill the Great Commission until He comes. So while church should be a happy, celebrative place, we need to stop from time to time and realize the tremendous burden we carry.

4. Biblical. You can't grow a biblically-faithful church without loving people and preaching the gospel. Churches that are inviting nonbelievers to enter God's kingdom are preaching the gospel in relevant ways without compromising the gospel or the Scriptures.

5. Passionate. A church focused on its true mission will have a Great Commission passion and an Acts 1:8 mindset to engage lost people in its community, region, country and world.

6. Compassionate. The church is called to meet the needs of others-healing, feeding and clothing in Jesus' name. We are to notice the needs of others and respond as Christ would. Not only did Christ meet people's physical needs, he brought spiritual transformation.

7. Multiplication mindset. "We are commanded by the Lord to go and make disciples of all nations-literally all people groups," says Richard Harris, vice president of Church Planting at the North American Mission Board. "Every person in every people group deserves the opportunity to hear the gospel and have an opportunity to respond in faith to Christ. Church planting provides one of the best opportunities for more and more people to hear the gospel in their heart language and have the opportunity to respond in faith to the crucified, buried, risen and coming again Lord Jesus Christ!"

8. Relational. "Our primary purpose is to be called out for relationship and fellowship with God (and with each other)," says Toby Frost, senior director of NAMB's Strategic Evangelism Coordination team. "This implies prayer, loving God and loving others."

9. Missions minded. Churches need to gear up for God's mission to reach people groups with a contextualized message (Romans 10:17). They can do this best by church-wide mission education that equips, enlists and engages all members. Participating in missions also becomes a learning experience for the on mission Christian and simultaneously provides a gospel witness for those who need to know and be discipled as a follower of Jesus Christ.

10. Missions active. Churches should engage their members in relevant, life-changing, hands-on ministry/missions opportunities that result in society's disengaged and outcast becoming kingdom citizens.